End-matcher.



W. S. SHERMAN.

I END MATCHER. APPLICATION FILED AUGLIS, I912.

229,. 8900' Patented Julie 12, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- W. S. SHERMAN.

END MATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15,19I2- LQQ9,8UU Patented June 12, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ma i W. S. SHERMAN.

END MATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.15| 1912.

ma ma. Patented June 12, 1917.

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W. SLSHERMAN.

END MATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I5| I912- 1&9, 80w 7 Patented June 12, 1917.

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WILLIS S. SHERMAN, OFlVIIlLWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

EnD-MAToHEnl Application filed August 15, 1912.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, VVILLIs S. SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Endl\latchers, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention relates to end matchers for flooring and the like and has for its object to provide an end matcher in which the work is fed to the cutter in a horizontal line of travel.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end matcher in which the end of the work is trimmed by a cutoff saw before reaching the cutters for cutting the tongue or groove therein.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an end matcher with automatic means for feeding the work upon the introduction of a new strip of material.

Another object of the invention is to rely upon the weight of the strip of material for assisting in maintaining the clamping action upon the material in its travel through the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an end matcher with a reciprocating step-by-step feeding mechanism of novel construction.

Another object of the invention is to improve upon details of construction of matching machines.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the end-matcher as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views Figure -1 is a sectional front elevation of an end matcher constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional rear elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation thereof at the feed end of the machine; and,

Fig. 1 is a similar view looking at the discharge end of the machine.

In these drawings 10 indicates a casing forming the base of the machine and 11 is a frame mounted thereon with a top frame 12 vertically adjustable upon it by having downwardly extending brackets 13 clamped to the rear of frame 11 by means of screw studs 1% passing through vertical slots of Specification of Letters Patent.

of the Patented June 12, 1217. Serial No. 715,150.

said brackets and threading into frame 11. lVhen the screw studs ll are loose the frame 12 may be adjusted vertically with relation to frame 11 by means of adjusting screws 15 which pass through cars at the lower ends of brackets 13 and thread into the frame 11 1. This adjustment for the purpose of vary ing the distance between the frame 12 and the frame 11 to accommodate work of different thickness, for this space between the the frames forms the feed way through which the work is fed past the cutters.

In addition to the clamping bolts 14. there is another clamping bolt 16 at the feed end frame on the front thereof similarly fitting within a slot of the top frame 12. A, cutoff saw 17 with its belt pulley 18 is adjustably mounted in a semi-cylindrical saw guard 19 projecting rearwardly from the top frame 12 so that the cutoff saw may be positioned nearer to or farther from the work passageway between the frames 11 and 12. A matching cutter 20 with its belt pulley 21 is vertically and horizontally adjustable on the topframe 12 by means of an adjusting screw 22 and is for the purpose of cutting a groove in the end of the work after the work has had its end. trimmed by.

the cutoff saw. 1 Obviously the single matching cutter 20 will be substituted by a double cutter when the machine is designed for cutting tongues instead of grooves.

The frame 11has a channel formed lengthwise thereof constituting a guide for a feed slide 23 which is reciprocated back and forth therein by means of a lever 24C fulcrumed at its lower end in the base frame 11 by slidably fitting in a T shaped sleeve 25 on a rock shaft 26 which is journaled in a bearing 27 of the base frame 10. The lever 21 at its intermediate portion has a 1011- gitudinal slot 28 in which a roller 29 travels, said roller being mounted on the end of a crank arm 30 carried by a shaft 31 which is journaled across the base frame 10 and is connected by a pin clutch 32 to an elliptical gear 33 loosely mounted on it. The, elliptical gear 33 meshes with a similar gear 3-1 carried by a gear wheel 35 meshing with a pinion 36 which is also carried by a gear wheel 37 meshing with a pinion 38 on a drive shaft 39 having a belt pulley 40 by which the machine is driven. hen the clutch 32 is engaged the shaft 31 is given a single rotation causing the lever 2% to be swung forward and back and thus cause a forward and back movement of the feeding slide 23. The elliptical gear 3 1 and its companion gear are mounted on a shaft 11 and on this shaft 411 is loosely mounted an arm 12 carrying a wedge block fitting in the annular groove of the pin clutch 32 for withdrawing the pin it of said clutch and thus disconnecting the shaft 31 from its driving connection with the train of gearing. A rod passes through the arm with springs d6 confined thereon and bearing on opposite sides of the arm 42 and at its lower end said rod is connected with an arm l7 on the rock shaft 26 of the swingin lever 21. Thus the swinging movements of the lever 21 for operating the feed slide cause the arm -17 to swing and press upwardly on the rod 15 to compress the lower spring 4C6 since the arm 12 is held against upward movement by its engagement with a trip finger d8 pivotally mounted at the top of the base frame 10. The cam 13 by remaining in the groove of the clutch withdraws the clutch. pin all from its clutching engagement with the elliptical gear so that the shaft 31 remains idle until the trip finger 18 has moved out of engagement with the arm 12 to permit the lower spring 16 to swing said arm and withdraw the cam 13 from engagement with the clutch pin tet. The means for removing the trip finger 48 consists of a trigger 4 9 pivotally mounted in a bracket 50 on the back of frame 11 which trigger has a block 51 adjustably mounted on its upper end in position to be engaged by the strips of lumber 52 as they are inserted in the feed way between the frames 11 and 12. An adjustable stop 53' is mounted on a crosspiece of the bracket 50 and is struck by the block 51 to limit its movement and to determine the extent to which the work may enter into the feedway. The movements of the trigger 119 are imparted to the trip finger 4L8 through a link 5-1 connecting the lower end of the trigger with a crank arm 55 on a beveled pinion 56 which meshes with a beveled pinion 57 having a crank arm 58 connected by :1 connecting rod 59 with the upper end of the trip finger 4-8. A spring ('30 connects with the upper end of the trip finger t8 and serves to give said trip finger a normal tendency to return to its upright position as soon as the trigger 1-9 is disengaged by the work.

hen the work 52 is entered into the machine, as shown in Fig. 8, it engages and swings the trigger 4:9 until the block 51 engages the stop 53 in which position the work is properly disposed with relation to the cutoff saw 17 so that when the work is fed to the saw a proper amount of material will be trimmed from the end thereof. The swinging movement of the trigger 19 by removing the trip finger 18 from above the cam 43 permits the bottom spring -16 which Was under compression to lift the arm 42 and remove the cam 43 from engagement with the clutch pin 4%, thus permitting said pin to connect the shaft 31 with the power driven elliptical gear 33 and cause a rota-- tion of the crank arm 30 to produce an oscillation of the swinging lever 21 and a reciprocation of the feed slide carried thereby. As soon as one rotation of the shaft 31 is completed it is again brought to rest, the trip finger having in the meantime been returned to its upright position by having the work fed from engagement with the trigger and the arm 4-2 having been engaged with the trip linger 18 at the time said arm is drawn downwardlv by the rod in the extreme forward movement of the lever 2%, so that the clutch pin 4H is withdrawn from its clutching engagement by the cam.

The work feeding slide 23 is cut away at its side edges for some distance from its upper surface in order to provide a space for containing work feeding dogs 61 which are pivotally mounted on studs projecting from the work feeding slide 23 and have notched ends adapted to be raised above the plane of the top surface of the work feeding slide in order to engage the lower rear corners of the work as it is held between the frame 11 and the top frame 12 and thus cause the reciprocating movements of the feed slide to impart a feeding movement to the work which will force it through the feedway. Each feed dog (31 is provided with a down *ardly projecting spur tooth 62 and racks 63 which slide in these spaces of the feed slide 23 have notches to receive the spur teeth of the feed dogs and said racks are given a longitudinal sliding movement with relation to the feed slide 23 in order that the feed dogs 61 may be raised and lowered simultaneously. This sliding movement of the racks 63 is accomplished by means of the connection between the swinging lever 24 and the feed slide 23. At its upper end the swinging lever 21 is provided with a transverse pin 6 1- and pivotally mounted on the projecting ends of this pin is a U-shaped link member 65 having trunnions 66 projecting from it above its connection with the pin (Slr, which trunnions are pivotally mounted in the side walls of the feed slide 23 and project into the spaces at the sides of the feed slide previously mentioned. The portions of the trunnions 66 which project into these spaces are flattened on one side and have collars 6T fitted thereon with correspondingly shaped openings to fit the flattened portions of the trunnion so that said collars are turned by turning movements of the trunnions which take place when the direction of movement of the swinging lever 241 is changed and each of the collars 67 has a spur tooth 68 fitting in a notch of one of the racks 63 so that the turning movements of the collars produce mg movement past the cutters.

reciprocating movements of the racks 63 to cause the simultaneous lifting and lowering of the work feeding dogs 61 preliminary to their feeding movements and their receding movements respectively. The crank 30 turns in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 2 and as it operates upon the swinging lever 24 nearer to the pivotal connection of said lever during the return stroke of the feed slide said return stroke will be accomplished quicker than the feed stroke. This quick return of the feed slide is further accomplished by reason of the arrangement of the elliptical gears 33 and 34:. Each time the direction of movement of the lever Qiis changed a slight movement of the link 65 as limited by its engagement with shoulders 69 on the slide 23, shown in Fig. 1, effects the slidingmovcment of the racks 63, to lift or lower the feed dogs 61 before movement is imparted to the feed slide 23.

At that portion of the feedway between frames 11 and 12 in which the work is entered there is provided a pivotally mounted weighted guide 70 against which the operator places the strip of material as he enters it in the feedway and the initial movement given to the strip by the reciprocation of the feed slide 23 causes the strip to force the guide 70 out of its path until the strip has passed when the guide drops by reason of its weight into position to receive the next strip. The top and bottom surfaces of the feedway are smooth at that portion thereof in which the strip is entered so as to present no obstruction to the inward movement of the strip, and as shown in Fig. 3 it bears at its lower surface against the front edge of frame 11 and at its upper surface against the rear edge of frame 12, because of the weight of the greater portion of the strip which is outside of the machine, but immediately upon starting in its travel through the feedway under the action of the feed slide 23 it becomes clamped firmly between the frames 11 and 12 by reason of a contraction of the feedway and by reason of pressure bars bearing against it with spring pressure, such clamping action being sufficient to hold the work in proper position during its feed- This contraction of the feedway is due to a slight rise in the bearing surfaces of the frame 11 and to the presence of bearing beads or ribs 71 on the bottom of frame 12, three of which are shown in Fig. 4%. When the work is first engaged by the first pair of dogs 61 said dogs by cooperating with the contracted portion of the feedway serve to square the work by moving the work until both dogs engage therewith and by reason of the clamping action upon the work before mentioned the work remains square during its travel past the cutter. The presser bars for clamping the work during its travel through the feedway are arranged at the front of the upper frame 12 and at the rear of the lower frame 11 and this is because the weight of the long portion of the strip outside of the machine is such as to give suflicient frictional resistance at the lower front engaging portion and the upper rear engaging portion. The presser bars are preferably in the form of L-shaped slides 72 positioned on op posite sides of oblong raised portions 73 of the frames and held in place by a cleat 74 se cured to said oblong portions and these slides are given spring pressure by having plates 75 loosely fitting in their ends with bolts 76 in the oblong portions 73 passing therethrough and having springs 77 bearing on the plates so that each plate imparts the spring pressure to two of the slides 72. The L shape of the slides 72 permits them to abut each other and form an unbroken spring actuated clamping surface bearing against the strips in their travel through the feedway. The slides 72 are slightly rounded at the edges first met with by the strips and are limited in their clamping movement by having notches in their ends in which a stop strip 78 fits. When the strip leaves the matching cutters 20 it is released from the clamping action referred to by the bearing ribs 71 being omitted at this portion of the feedway so that the finished strip is forced by the end dogs out of the end of the feedway without material resistance.

By means of this invention strips may be fed to the machine as fast as the operator can enter them into the receiving end of the feedway, for as soon as a strip is forced into the feedway its end engages the trigger a9 and sets the feed. slide in motion as described causing the feed dogs to rise and then ad vance into engagement with the strip squaring the strip and starting it in its travel through the feedway. The first pair of dogs carries the strip from the position in which it is fed to the feedway past the cutting edge of the cutoff saw. The second set of feed dogs in the next reciprocation of the feed slide carries the strip from this position to a position directly ahead of the matching cutters, the third pair strip past the matching cutters, and the fourth pair of feed dogs carries the strip to the discharge portion of the feedway. No attention on the part of the operator is re quired after the strip is placed in position, the machine automatically truing the work by trimming the end thereof and then cutting a tongue or groove therein. The various adjustments enable the machine to be quickly changed for work of different thick ness.

WVhile the presence of the cutoff saw is desirable for truing the end of the work before matching it, it may be dispensed with and the matching cutters employed alone, or

of feed dogs carries the the matching cutters may be dispensed with and the cutoff saw employed alone. Various other changes may be made in the construction as herein shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame having a horizontal feedway, a reciprocating feeding mechanism having successively effective work engaging means for moving work through the horizontal feedway step by step, each step of movement of the work being greater than the width of the work, and a fixed saw in the path of th work in its travel through the feedway and so positioned as to have the work left between its cutting edges at the end of one step of the feed thereof, whereby the work is not left at restin position to be engaged by the saw teeth.

2. A woodworking machine for operating on the end of strips of material, comprising a frame having a horizontal bearing surface on the top thereof, a top frame secured to said frame and having a horizontal bearing surface on the bottom thereof, the bearing surfaces of the two frames forming a feedway between them for the travel of strips of lumber and the like, spring pressed pressure bars positioned at one edge of the bearing surface of th upper frame and at the other edge of the bearing surface of the lower frame, means for moving the work through the feedway, and a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedway.

3. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame provided with a horizontal feedway having top and bottom bearing surfaces for supporting strips of lumber and the like by means of the end thereof, means for feeding the lumber through the feedway, a yielding swinging guide at the portion of the feedway through which the strips are introduced to form a stop for positioning the work in the feedway, and a cutter in the path of the work through the feedway.

l. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame provided with a feedway having bearing surfaces for supporting a strip of lumber or the like, a pair of feeding means for engaging the strip of lumber at distant points within the feedway, said feedway having a contracted portion for clamping the end of the strip in its travel and for co operating with the feeding means for squaring the work in the line of travel, and a cutter in the path of travel of the work.

5. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame provided with a feedway with bearing surfaces for supporting a strip of lumber or the like, a slide fitting within the frame, a suitably operated pivotally mounted lever, a link connection between the lever and the slide by which the oscillations of the lever produce reciprocations of the slide, dogs on the slide, a connection between the link and the dogs for moving them into and out of the feedway for engagement with the work to feed the work through the feedway, and a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedway.

6. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame having a feedway to support a strip of lumber or the like, a slide working in the frame, a pivotally mounted lover, a driving means, a clutch therefor, a crank controlled by the clutch and engaging the lever for causing it to oscillate, a link connection between the lever and the slide for causing the oscillations of the lever to produce reciprocations of the slide, a dog on the slide having connection with the link whereby it is moved into and out of the feedway during the reciprocations of the slide for engaging and feeding the work through the feedway, a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedway, and means engaged by the work onits introduction to the feedway for operating the clutch.

7. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame having opposite guide surfaces to form a feedway to support a strip oflumber or the like, a slide working in the frame and adapted to engage and feed the work through the feedway, a clutch controlled means for moving the slide, a trigger in the path of the work on its feedway and having connection with the clutch for operating the same to start the slide in its feeding operation, and a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedway.

8. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame having opposite guide surfaces to form a feedway to support a strip of lumber or th like, a slide working in the frame and adapted to engage and feed the work through the feedway, a clutch controlled means for moving the slide, a trigger in the path of the work on its introduction to the feedway and having connection with the clutch for operating the same to start the slide in its feeding operation, an adjustable stop in the path of the trigger for limiting the movementsthereof and determining the extent of introduction of th work in the feedway, and a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedway.

9. A woodworking machine, comprising a frame having a feedway for supporting a strip of lumber or the like, a slide working in the same, a suitably operated oscillating lever, a link connection between the lever and the slide, a rack slidably mounted on the slide and having connection with the link whereby the rack is moved in the slide at the beginning of each movement of the introduction to the slide, a dog carried by the slide engaging the rack and adapted to be moved into and out of the feedway by the movements of the rack for engaging and feeding the work through the feedway, and a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedway.

10. A Woodworking machine, comprising a frame having a feedvvay to support a strip of lumber or the like, a trigger in the path of the work 011 its introduction to the feed way to be engaged and moved thereby, a spring retracted trip finger having connection with the trigger, a driving means, a clutch therefor, a crank having connection with the driving means through the clutch, a suinging arm for controlling the operation of the clutch and adapted to engage the trip finger, a rock shaft, an arm thereon, a rod connected with the arm and passing through the swinging arm, springs on the rod hearing on opposite sides of the swing ing arm, a lever 'on the rock shaft engaging the crank and oscillated thereby, a work feeding means operated by the lever for feeding the work through the feedway, and a cutter in the path of the work in its travel through the feedvvav.

11. A woodworking machine, comprising a work supporting element and a Work cutting element, means for moving one element with relation to the other, a driving member, a clutch for connecting said driving member with said means, a clutch controlling member moved into and out of operative position by the said means, and a suitably operated means for detaining and releasing the clutch controlling member.

12. A Woodworking machine, comprising a work supporting element and a work cutting element, means for moving one element with relation to the other, a driving member, a clutch for connecting said driving member with said means, a clutch controlling member receiving from said means a tendency to more first in one direction and then in the other direction, a stop for de taining the clutch controlling member against the tendency to move in one direction, and means :for removing the stop.

In testimony whereof, I atfix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS S.- SHERMAN. Wi t1 losses:

R. S. C. CALDWELL, KATHERINE HOLT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

